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Rachel W. Martin

@rwmartin.bsky.social
3.9K followers 2.9K following 5.7K posts

Biophysical chemist, NMR spectroscopist, vision researcher, plant enthusiast, enzyme hunter. I stage tiny, elaborately choreographed musicals starring nuclear spins. Lab website: probemonkey.com

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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is not the point, but also there are no machine-made clothes.
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Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 30/09/2026
BREAKING NEWS: “Do geese see God” is a palindrome
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
One of the "highlights" of my term as Vice Chair for Facilities was when a colleague came back from a trip to find an office full of bees. I got involved after the maintenance people said they couldn't do anything about it. Lock the door and find a new office, this one belongs to the bees now.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For the last 34 years I have been on the faculty of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Biology and have never regretted that decision. This year we are hiring TWO new Assistant Professors in the broad area of Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology 1/n bio.unc.edu
Front page of the website
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
On the perennial topic of "Democrats' Funding Texts are Annoying," I really hate the ones that start off with "Is there anything I can say to convince you to contribute to my campaign?" I dunno, say something worthwhile and I'll think about it? You go first.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Better a pig than a fascist.
Marco Pagot (Porco Rosso) in his plane giving the thumbs-up.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
@fredaperras.bsky.social your student is rotating in my lab! Very exciting!
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Amrit Venkatesh @amrit-venkatesh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Please repost. NMR/EPR/DNP colleagues: we are searching for a postdoc to join our group to develop dynamic nuclear polarization NMR. Please see the ad below, and I would be grateful if you could share it with interested candidates. #NMRchat #EPRchat #chemsky
uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Research Associate in Chemistry
The Venkatesh research group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Virginia (UVA) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to develop dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced NMR methodologies. The successful candidate will develop and implement new DNP-enhanced NMR methods and apply them to materials characterization; publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present results at scientific conferences; mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers; and contribute to collaborative research efforts within and beyond UVA. The postdoctoral researcher will help define and pursue new research directions in DNP, with opportunities to develop independent ideas, initiate collaborations, and contribute to the growth of an emerging DNP research program. Research Environment The group has access to a comprehensive suite of magnetic resonance instrumentation and characterization facilities, including: A 400 MHz MAS-DNP spectrometer equipped with 1.3 HX and 3.2 mm HXY DNP probes A 600 MHz solid-state NMR spectrometer equipped with 1.3 HX, 2.5 mm HFXY, and 5.0 mm MAS and static HX probes X-band benchtop EPR spectrometer In addition, the group has access to solution-state NMR, pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance, X-ray and microscopy facilities and high-performance computing resources at UVA. The group fosters a collaborative and supportive research environment, with opportunities to lead interdisciplinary collaborations, mentor trainees, and collaborate with internationally recognized research groups and industries. Qualifications Required: PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field by the start date with a strong background in NMR spectroscopy, and demonstrated ability to conduct independent scientific research. Preferred: Experience with DNP-enhanced NMR, hyperpolarization methods, advanced solid-state NMR or EPR spectroscopy. Record of peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. Ability to work independently and effectively in a collaborative research environment. Interest in mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers. Application Procedure: Apply online at https://jobs.virginia.edu/us and search for position number R0087636. Submit (1) a 1-2 page cover letter describing your experience relevant to this position, and your past and future research interests, (2) curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications, and (3) contact information for three individuals who can provide professional reference letters. Application deadline: Review of applications will begin on October 3, 2026, but the position will remain open until filled. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. The anticipated salary is $60,000 - $65,000, commensurate with experience. This is a one-year appointment; however, the appointment may be renewed for an additional year contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance. For questions regarding this position, please contact Amrit Venkatesh, Assistant Professor, at amrit.venkatesh@virginia.edu. For questions about the application process, please contact Rich Haverstrom, Academic Recruiter, at rkh6j@virginia.edu For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits. More information about Charlottesville as a place to live can be found on the UVA HR website. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment. PLEASE READ: The job postings for this page have been moved to a new location. Please visit the UVA Careers Websites to navigate to the appropriate site, or click UVA Careers in the upper right corner of this page to view open positions. If have already applied and need to log in to your existing Workday account, please click Sign In in the upper right corner of this page. Please do not sign in until you have visited and applied through a UVA Careers website.
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Luke Ontario @coolhand.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Everyone stop, this is important
A black and white drawing of three dachshunds arranged vertically, each holding a different optical illusion object in its mouth, and the dogs themselves drawn as if a single line optical illusion. The top dog holds a Penrose triangle, the middle dog holds a Necker cube, and the bottom dog holds a Penrose trident. The dogs’ bodies are elongated in an exaggerated cartoon style. The artwork is signed “@IndieTheIntrovert” in the bottom right corner.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Today I submitted a paper that was abandoned in 2020 and resuscitated recently. It has two sets of authors who didn’t overlap in the lab, but it eventually got done.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Happy eel day!
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hell Triathalon: Arguing with science bros about it's totally reasonable to give this year's award to a man even though men won it every year for the last 20 years, while simultaneously editing Harry Potter fanfiction written by Grok.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Always has been
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I need to do paper revisions, so obviously I am 3D printing dragons with little magnets embedded in their paws so they can climb.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
TMBG is undoubtably the band I have seen live the most times, because of their love for Toad's in New Haven. I wish I could make it this time!
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Everybody loves potato!
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
El Rìo Salado
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This is just unfair, these are both so weird, how am I supposed to pick? I chose #Hafnon - excellent use of hafnium.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
What a cool project! I am so proud to be a co-author with Aide (on a different topic).
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
What's the oddest paid job you've had? Mine was probably NMR facility lackey, but this seems completely normal and obvious given what I ended up doing with myself. Otherwise, maybe playing jazz arrangements of cheesy Christmas songs at the mall with my friends in high school?
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ...
A poster featuring the T-Rex at the cognitive natural sciences, which says save the Academy natural sciences, museum rally in front of the academy 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, Tuesday, September 8 10 AM. The T-Rex is saying tell Drexel keep the museum open. There’s an RSVP QR code and then the logos of Philly Science Action Skype scientist In Philly on the bottom.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
You get a coupon for getting the COVID and flu vaccines, yay! You can’t use it to buy alcohol, boooooo
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My favorite fish! (Ok, I have a lot of favorite fish. But I love these little guys!)
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I have this conversation with people in my plant clubs all the time. Them: Old cultivars are so much better than the ones introduced now! Me: The older cultivars that didn't grow well died out, so we only see the really good ones. Them: Nuh-uh.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I bought these and I can't wait to wear them to give talks about vision research.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I am about to meet with my last group member to do their IDP. The due date for giving the forms to the dept. is Aug. 31. I think this is the earliest we have ever gotten it done. Gold stars all around!
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Mechanochemistry be like:
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
About 70% of the way through Daggerbound, someone finally says "Technically, she's a crustacean," and I let out a big sigh of relief. IYKYK.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Vote for Lisa - the logo isn't her fault!
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jordan @jordantyranny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
a yellow and black warning sign that reads "Don't chase your dreams! Humans are persistence hunters. Follow your dreams at a sustainable pace until they get tired and lie down".
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
David Byrne played « Life During Wartime » with footage of LA resisting ICE playing on the screen behind the band. I didn’t get a photo of that because I was ugly crying with 17,000 of my closest friends.
Distant shot of David Byrne and his band at the Hollywood Bowl in front of a big screen, which is lit up in red.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
LA metro rats are small and scrungly compared to NYC subway rats.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
@toadcialism.bsky.social I have a question: I have this bracelet that I love from Peculiarity Shop, that I think you made. Did you? If yes, is it possible to modify it with a different kind of clasp? I can’t put it on by myself. I could get an extender, but I don’t really need it to be bigger.
White woman’s wrist wearing a rainbow dragon scale bracelet.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I feel super special because I managed to miss the deadline for a program that has no deadlines. 🎉
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Here's a new fun email signoff: Instead of best, I typo-ed to "Bet." It gives this very mundane email a more dramatic flavor.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My husband wrote a book! I am very proud, holy crap that's a lot of work! www.amazon.com/Models-Metho...
amazon.com
Models and Methods for Large-scale Interpersonal Networks: Space and Structure
Amazon.com: Models and Methods for Large-scale Interpersonal Networks: Space and Structure: 9783032396617: Butts, Carter T., Almquist, Zack W.: Books
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The feds are now building on tribal lands without permission. This is completely illegal. Many Tohono O'odham people live in and near my original home town. They were my elementary school classmates and neighbors.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I was briefly VERY excited about this. (Yes, naked mole rats are also great!)
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Damn, scooped already! But seriously, this is a cool idea. It is important to tell the stories of how our work impacts people beyond our community.
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Lorna @florilegia.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I think everyone should see this incredible picture of Dolly Parton: it’s by Stacie Williams (asterosperma on Instagram) and it’s called The Queen of Appalachia
A stunning screenprint image in a style which is part folk art, part religious icon. Dolly Parton sits on a throne-like wooden chair, surrounded by garlands of flowers and leaves. Orange butterflies (I think they are monarchs?) hover around her head. Her hair is huge and golden, and she is wearing a long, sweeping orange gown, which is turned up over her knee to show off her brown knee length high heeled boots. Two black bear cubs play around her, one on the floor and one in her lap. Dolly stares calmly at the viewer. Her right hand is raised in benediction, and in her left she holds a ripe strawberry which she is feeding to one of the bear cubs. 

The original post is here https://www.instagram.com/p/B8rvBpTlRxZ/?igsi=Z2x5aTB5aHp5NXFp
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A Swiftly Tilting Planet. This was the first book I read that had obvious references to other literary works, and looking them up made it even more interesting.
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Mary Munson @marymunson4.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Structural biology postdoctoral position open in my lab--apply now! For more information about the lab, see www.umassmed.edu/munsonlab/. Interested candidates should apply through the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School jobs portal (www.ummsjobs.com/job/11668/).
umassmed.edu
Munson Lab | Home | BMB | UMass Chan Medical School
The Munson Lab researches the mechanistic basis for the regulation of spatial and temporal specificity in membrane trafficking in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology Department at UMass Chan Me...
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FT @fucktheory.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Imagine being talented and beautiful and rich and famous and still the most noteworthy thing about you is how good a person you are.
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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 25/08/2026
[Exit Queen.]
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Bo Thompson @gaudipern.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
(1/2) Since I haven't seen anyone else mention this one... It was an open secret that Dolly Parton secretly funded a massive number of southern high school bands, most especially predominantly Black high schools. A marching band member in her youth, Dolly never forgot the joy that playing snare drum
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John Trant @trantteam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A short thread for any followers who seem confused about why a University can suspend an academic for stuff, and why this is not necessarily a violation of "academic freedom." The pearl-clutching is pretty sad.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I still haven't been to AK, AL, MS, and ND. whereidlive.com/s/jwbhq481
whereidlive.com
United States: where I've been
Fill in your own version and see where the two of you disagree.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
New favorite reaction gif.
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
A winning campaign slogan!
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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Coming soon: The Onion - America's Finest News Source. No, seriously.
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